Writing by Michael De Groote

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On this day, in 2014, I officially began the writing of what was then called Verity’s Oath. That book steamed forward until it bulged out at 127,000 words. I restructured and cut it back eventually to 85,000 words. Now, three years later, I am starting another novel with the working title False.

Why such a long delay?

Well excuses don’ t change performance, but in this case the main reason is I used the editing process to learn more about the craft of writing. I am confident, now, that I can write a lot faster as well as do a better job in editing. I have a much better idea of what a novel should be.

So I don’t anticipate False to be another 127,000 behemoth, but more of a 70,000 word first draft.

I’m currently sending out query letters to agents in an attempt to find representation. I had one agent say I had a “very very good query,” but rejected the novel because she changed what she was representing. Another agent also passed on it, but said it was a “cool premise.” I’m hoping to find an agent who is excited about the novel and its possibilities.

By the way, writing a query seemed much more difficult than writing the novel and almost as difficult as editing the novel. I’ve been through what seems like hundreds of versions. I wasn’t satisfied with the “very very good query” (J. Scott Savage reviewed it and thought it was too much like an synopsis), so I wrote a new one that I like much better. It struck me as odd that I had so much trouble with it because I have a background in marketing and in writing copy for hundreds of television commercials, short form promotional videos and various advertising and promotional items.

Of course I spent a lot of time on Janet Reid’s blog, queryshark.blogspot.com, reading and taking notes on what she thought made a good query. I’ve been to classes and workshops on the process. If my current query works, (agents request my manuscript, etc.), I may post it here some day. If it doesn’t work, I will write another one.

The structural problems of the novel are so difficult. I kept coming up with solutions and then abandoning them. Wash Rinse Repeat.

I’m now closer to a solution that I like. But it has been very difficult to get to it. And I am likely to not like it either. But, like I did last November during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I will push ahead to the end.

The other thing I have done is add a lot of good texture to the novel. I’ve also been playing around on the ideas for a possible sequel.

Another thing I have done is read through the Query Shark website by agent Janet Reid. Although I am not to the querying stage yet, I am finding it very helpful in thinking clearer about story and plot. [By the way, the link takes you to the first Query Shark post. Start there and read all of them.]

All this means that the writing of a novel is much more difficult than I anticipated. The amount of craft improvement available to adopt is infinite. It is all very exciting and daunting.

In any case, I believe in the story and hope you will like it some day. I think you will. I hope you will. Please like it. 😉

My current goal is to finish the edit by the end of November. Then beta readers. Then query. Then agents. Then publishers. Then published. Excelsior!